The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the supermarket industry, with shoppers in panic-buying mode stripping fruit and vegetable shelves bare, while produce buyers scrambled to place orders and line up speedy deliveries.
At Liberty Fruit Co. Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., CEO John McClelland, president Allen Caviar and their team knew what they had to do.
“Part of our job is keeping our customers in stock all the time, every day with all the items they need — in their produce department or in their restaurant,” McClelland said.
The spring sales surge was a learning experience, he said, and put the company on alert for potential future disruptions.
Read more about how COVID-19 is effecting the produce industry here.
“If things get worse with COVID, as some predict they might as flu season overlaps with it, I think you could see another surge in retail,” McClelland said.
“We’re all keeping an eye on that.”
No one knows what the future holds, McClelland said, “So what I keep telling our team is, the best thing we can (do) for our customers is be flexible and agile.”
“Allen and I are preparing Liberty Fruit to be able to navigate this fall and winter without being able to see too far in front of us,” he said.
“We have to be able to pivot on a dime and be what our customers need us to be.”
Chances are, the company will have what their customers need, with an inventory of more than 1,200 produce commodities, 100 organic options and 150 varieties of specialty produce.
In addition, Liberty Fruit offers a selection of value-added products, some of which, like shredded lettuces and carrots, are procured from other suppliers, and others that are prepared at the company’s own processing facility — Carol’s Cuts.
Then there’s the Mary’s Pride onsite repack division that custom-packs premium fruits and vegetables to customers’ specifications, including private-label offerings.
“Tomatoes are kind of a forte of ours,” Caviar said.
Mary’s Pack has a full tomato repack operation, he said.
Related articles:
USDA’s food box program helps suppliers, consumers in the Heartland market
Business looks strong for produce in the Heartland
Liberty Fruit extends reach
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